The best batteries for your buck

You have the gifts, check.

Almost everything is wrapped, check.

But you forgot one thing: Batteries!

So we have a new test showing which batteries do the job best.

Kids toys will wear out any parent: They spin, shake and sing.

Dad Cliff Banks says he was prepared for diapers to break his budget, but not batteries.

"It seems like every other time I go to the store I'm buying batteries," Banks said.

Cliff buys the cheapest ones. But is cheap always best?

To find out, we tested the top selling AA batteries.

For three weeks we tested flashlights and toy monkeys that move and make noise.

In our unscientific test, we chose five brands: Rayovac, Duracell, Coppertop, Duracell Ultra, Energizer Max and Energizer Advanced Lithium.

Rayovac batteries were most consistent, but not in a good way.

In the flashlight test, the first Rayovac died 5 hours and 4 minutes into it.

Eight minutes later three more were dead.

While Rayovac is cheapest, it took last place in our flashlight test.

In our toy monkey test, Rayovac jumped two spots up to third place.

However, there's one battery that never changed its ranking.

The Energizer Advanced Lithium earned the top spot in all our tests.

At 5 hours and 30 minutes, the lithium battery was still going strong.

It's clapping wildly while the monkeys to the right and left are clapping slowly.

They others die a few minutes after 5 hours and 30 minutes.

But the Energizer lithium kept going, and going, and going...

It lasted almost three hours longer than any other battery.

Only downside: Their high price.

The lithium batteries cost us a $1.74 each compared with less than $1 for all the others

Our partners at Consumer Reports magazine says lithium, however, shouldn't be used in every product.

"Something that is used infrequently and takes only a small amount of current is where alkaline might be better for example remote controls or your clock," said Jeremy Wright of Consumer Reports.

So for a bit less money than lithium, Consumer Reports recommends the Duracell Ultra Advanced, the top alkaline battery in its digital camera test.

Batteries are one thing where going cheap can cost you more in the long run.

So don’t buy the cheapest you see, and that way you don’t waste your money.